State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, an Austin Democrat, is running for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Asked why she is seeking the office, Eckhardt said in our candidate questionnaire: "Texans are paying more for gas, groceries, and housing than ever before—even as our state boasts one of the largest, strongest economies in the country. … It is time to ask hard questions so Texans get honest answers about where their tax dollars go."

Other candidates in the race are Don Huffines (Republican), Shehla Faizi (Green) and V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza (Libertarian).

Candidate information

Party: Eckhardt described herself as a "Lifelong Democrat, but I am running in this race to serve Texans regardless of party."

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Education: "Double Longhorn: LBJ School of Public Affairs and UT Law," Eckhardt said. She holds a bachelor's in theater from New York University (1986), a master's in public affairs and a juris doctor from the University of Texas at Austin (1998).

Family: "I am the youngest of seven, the parent of two, and owner of a couple of fur babies."

Family in politics: "Among my immediate family, I am the odd-one-out in my family as the only one who pursued public office like my dad, the late Congressman Bob Eckhardt. My two children have so far served in routine civilian roles in the federal government."

Experience and public service

Eckhardt said her occupation is "Attorney and public official." She listed her previous offices: "Currently the state senator for District 14, comprising Austin and surrounding areas; previously, the Travis County Judge, Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2, and Assistant County Attorney for Travis County."

Her campaign website says she was the first woman elected as Travis County Judge.

Asked what accomplishments show she can handle the job, Eckhardt said: "As the chief executive over Travis County, the 5th largest in the state, I cut taxes 3 times in 5 years, balanced the budget 3 times, built infrastructure on time and on budget, and oversaw a massive increase in good-paying jobs."

She stressed staffing readiness. "In that role, I managed more than 4,000 employees; there are 3,000 in the Comptroller's office, and I am prepared to let them loose doing the honest work of telling Texans where their money is going," she said.

On the issues

Eckhardt addressed several policy areas in our questionnaire.

Revenue estimate: Asked how she would keep the comptroller's revenue estimate accurate, Eckhardt said the process requires "analyzing macroeconomics, historical trends, and projecting based on the best available information about commodity pricing, how economic trends in various sectors of the economy will impact the various sources of revenue the state uses to fund the delivery of services to the people of Texas." She added: "This process requires steadiness and maturity to ensure that the Legislature's ultimate budget is fiscally sound. This is not an opportunity to inject political grandstanding."

Education savings accounts: On administering the state's new voucher program, Eckhardt said in her questionnaire response: "Although I did not vote for this program in my capacity as a state senator, as Comptroller my responsibility is well laid out in the law." She said she would "very carefully and aggressively manage the program to ensure that contractors are complying with their obligations to the state."

Property taxes: Asked whether she supports proposals to eliminate school district property taxes, Eckhardt said: "Texans should not pay more taxes than necessary to fund statutory state services." She called the current strategy of using state revenue to compress school property taxes and expand homestead exemptions "ill-advised," saying it "relies on temporary budget surpluses" and that "assuming these boom conditions will last indefinitely is fiscally reckless."

Economic development incentives: On tax exemptions, Eckhardt said: "Many are just handouts to wealthy corporations that do not need the incentive and would do business and generate profits without them, such as for AI data centers." She said she would "analyze all of the tax exemptions and submit a report to the Legislature on their effectiveness going forward."